Art of packaging handled confections



Feb. 19, 1957 W. A. SCHOEN ART OF PACKAGING HANDLED CONFECTIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 4, 1953 IN V EN TOR5 Feb. 19, 1957 w. A. SCHOEN ART OF PACKAGING HANDLED CONFECTIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1953 INVENTOR. Z07 C2 2PM iinited States Patent Cfiice 12,781,701? Patented Feb. 19, 1957 ART (BF PACKAGING HANDLED CONFECTIONS Walter A. dchoen, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to Milprint, Inc, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application March 4, 1953, Serial N 340,234

2 Claims. (Cl. 93-35) The present invention relates generally to improvements in the art of protectively packaging edible commodities, and relates more particularly to improvements in the construction of bag-like containers for packaging confections having a stick or handle projecting therefrom and to the method of commercially producing such containers.

A primary object of this invention is to provide an improved flexible bag-like merchandising container for protectively housing handled confections in a most effective manner and an improved highly eflicient method of commercially producing and applying the same at low cost.

It is, of course, common practice to merchandise certain confections such as ice cream bars and other frozen confections as well as candy suckers and the like with a stick or handle projecting therefrom. In dispensing such handled commodities, it is common practice to employ more-or-less standard bags into which the confection is inserted, the mouth of the bag being left unsealed with the stick or handle protruding therethrough. This practice is, however, very unsanitary with considerable possibility of contamination being present in the handling and storage of the commodity from the time it leaves the manufacturers packing room to the time that it reaches the ultimate consumer due to the unsealed condition of the package. To seal the bag mouth around the stick or handle would moreover be highly impractical since standard available automatic heat sealing machines could not be employed without alterations in the sealing bars and Without thereafter undesirably decreasing the speed or rate of production of the sealing machine. Furthermore, if the entire article including the edible and the handle portions were to be enclosed within the bag, it would be necessary to employ bags of a much larger size, particularly in length, to confine the confection and its handle entirely therein and permit use of a rotary type sealer, thereby resulting in increased cost of the packaging materials as well as the possibility of misleading purchasers as to the contents of the final'package.

It is therefore a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved flexible container for packaging handled confections and a method of effectively producing and applying the same which obviate the objections and disadvantages heretofore attendant containers of this general type and production methods therefor.

Another specific object of my invention is to provide an improved flexible bag-like container adapted to readily receive and eifectively housethe edible portion of handled confections in a most sanitary and economical manner.

Another specific object of thisinvention is to provide an improved flexible container for handled confections which is adapted to snugly confine the edible confection while permitting the handle to protrude therefrom, the container'being entirely sealed about the confection with the aid of standard available sealing equipment.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved method of continuously and automatically producing novel flexible containers for handled confections from a longitudinally advancing web of sheet material With the aid of relatively standard bag-making apparatus in a simple and economical manner.

Still another specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved flexible container for handled confections comprising, a flat tube of flexible material closed at one end and open at the opposite end for receiving the confection, the closed end being formed with a local aperture for receiving the handle projecting from the confection and the open end being foldable and scalable transversely thereacross to confine the confection within the tube.

A further specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for commercially producing flexible bag-like containers such as hereinabove described in large quantities and in rapid, economical and efficient manner.

An additional specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of packaging confections provided with a protruding stick or handle to effectively protect and seal the same for maximum sanitation.

These and other specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several features constituting the present improvement, and of the steps of the improved method and details of the apparatus for automatically performing such steps, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating typical apparatus and the several steps of the method employed in the continuous production of typical flexible bags embodying the improvement;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the bag bottom folding and sealing portion of the apparatus illustrating the bottom folding, sealing and aperture-forming steps of the improved method;

Fig. 3 is another enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the tucker blade in the act of forming the end fold and local handle-receiving aperture in a tube section;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of one of the improved empty confection bags produced in accordance with the improved method and embodying the invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bag shown in Fig. 4 but with the bag distended and unsealed and a handled confection confined therein; and

Fig. 6 is a similar perspective view of a somewhat modified bag embodying the invention and likewise showing the bag distended as well as finally sealed with a pair of handled confections protectively confined therein.

While the improvements have been specifically shown and described herein as being particularly applicable in the production of gusset-type bags fabricated of a particular flexible sheet material and sealed with an adhesive to close the bottom flap and longitudinal side seam and especially adapted for use in packaging frozen confections dispensed on sticks, it is not desired or intended to thereby unnecessarily limit or restrict the scope or utility of the invention since the improvements are obviously advantageously applicable to any type of bag formed of suitable packaging material adapted for sealing either by I heat and pressure, pressure alone or with the aid of a separate adhesive and may be utilized in the packaging of any commodity having a protrudance in the form of a handle or the like. It is also contemplated that certain specific descriptive terms used herein shall be given thebroadest possible interpretation consistent with the dis-- closure. In accordance with the present improved method of producing the improved commodity receiving contaiuers, I initially longitudinally advance a continuous web or ribbon of a suitable flexible thin sheet material along a predetermined path. As the web is thus advanced, it is folded into flat tubular shape with the longitudinal edge portions thereof in overlapping relationship, and the overlapping edges of the flat tube are scaled to form a longitudinal seam. Thereafter, the longitudinally advancing fiat tube is severed into successive tube sections of predetermined length. Finally, each of the successive tube sections is folded back upon itself along a transverse line near one end of the section and the folded portion thereof is secured to the adjacent outer tube wall with the tube wall being simultaneously locally pierced adjacent to or along the fold line and centrally of the flat tube to thereby provide the respective tube section with a closed end' sealed and having a local central aperture therein. After the flexible tubular container having one open end and a closed end provided with a local aperture has thus been formed, the handled confection is thereafter inserted handle-first within the open end of the container while in distended condition so that the edible portion of the confection is located within the tubular container with the handle of the confection protruding through the local aperture in the closed end of the container. To finally snugly confine the confection entirely within the container, the open end thereof is finally sealed transversely entirely thereacross.

In the commercial exploitation of the improved container production method hereinabove set forth, a typical apparatus substantially as diagrammatically shown in Fig. l of the drawing may be utilized. Referring to the drawing, the web or ribbon of suitable flexible sheet material is initially supplied from a rotatably supported supply roll 11 over a series of guide rolls 12 to a tube forming or folding unit 13 of standard construction with suitable adhesive being applied to one longitudinal edge of the Web by a standard adhesive applicator 14. The web 10 is folded into a fiat tube in a well known manner by the former 13 with the longitudinal edges of the web in overlapping relation being sealed therealong to form a longitudinal seam 15. As the continuous tube is advanced from the draw rolls 16 to the rolls 17, the tube 19 is transversely severed at predetermined intervals by means of the usual knife or knives 18, and the successive tube sections 19 are then fed to the periphery of a revolving cylinder 20. As the successive sections are advanced by the cylinder 20, a cooperating tucker cylinder 21 carrying peripheral tucker blades 22 folds the end portion of each tube section 19 reversely along a transverse fold line to thereby close one end of the tube section, the tucker blades 22 receiving a suitable adhesive from a standard applicator 23 and applying the glue or other adhesive between the folds of the tube section 19 as the fold is effected so that the clamping jaws 24 of the cylinder act to seal the tube end during the folding operation. While the apparatus thus far described is of standard well known construction, I provide each of the tucker blades 22 with a local raised cutting portion or knife 25 which simultaneously with the folding operation automatically locally pierces the wall of the tube 19 along the fold line to thereby provide the closed end of the tube section with a local aperture 27. Finally, as the completed tube end sealed sections 19 leave the cylinder 20, they are conveniently stacked as at 26 in Fig. 1 for subsequent use.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, the improved container formed in accordance with the improved method and by means of the apparatus described comprises, in general, a fiat tube 19 of suitable flexible material closed at one end by the reversely folded portion 28 secured to the adjacent outer wall of the tube section, the tube having the other end open for receiving the confection 30 to be packaged, the closed end of the tube being,

formed with a local aperture 27 located centrally of the tube along the transverse bottom fold lineand adapted to receive the handle 31 of the confection as shown in Fig. 5. It is also usually preferable to provide the tube section 19 with side gussets 29 which may be formed during the folding operation hereinabove described in a well known manner, but it is not essential that the improved containers be of the side gussetted type. As hereinabove described, the confection is insertable through the open end of the flexible container 19 in a manner whereby the handle 31 of the confection protrudes through the aperture 27 of the caintainer, the open end of the container being then foldable along a transverse line and being sealable transversely entirely thereacross so as to snugly confine the edible portion of the confection 30 entirely and snugly within the closed container. While the sealing of the container end after insertion of the commodity may be effected by means of suitable adhesives, it is preferable to provide the containers of heat sealable material so that heat and pressure may be utilized in effecting the seals and due to the construction of the improved containers whereby there are no obstructions to scaling the end thereof entirely across the tube, standard sealing machinery may be utilized.

In certain instances, the confection may be sold in pairs in which case a container such as that shown in Fig. 6 may be employed. Referring more particularly to Fig. 6, it will be noted that the container shown therein comprises, in general, a flat tube 19' of flexible material normally open at one end and closed at the opposite end as by folding a portion of the tube back upon itself as at 28 along a transverse fold line with the folded portions secured to each other and to the adjacent outer wall, the closed end of the container 19' being provided with a pair of spaced local apertures 27', 27 in the transverse fold line forming the closed end of the container, the local apertures being adapted to receive the handles 31, 31" projecting from the respective confections 30', 30 which are insertable into the tube through the open end which may thereafter be transversely folded and sealed entirely thereacross to finally snugly confine the confections 30', 30" within the tube. As in the case of the flexible containers of Figs. 4 and 5, the double container of Fig. 6 may likewise be of the type having side gussets 29' to permit more ready expansion and recep tion of the commodities therein.

From the foregoing detailed description, it is believed apparent that the present invention provides an improved bag-like or pouch-like container especially adapted for protectively packaging handled confections and which may be readily economically produced in large quantities commercially in accordance with an improved method and through the use of apparatus of relatively standard construction. As indicated herein, the material utilized in the production of the improved containers should preferably be of a heat sealable nature, in which case adhesives need not be utilized and standard heat sealing equipment may be employed. The amperture 27 may be provided in the closed end of the container during the bottom folding end sealing operation by means of the knife-like projection 25 on the tucker blade, and the apparatus need not be slowed down for this purpose. By reason of the improved construction, the confection manufacturer may purchase the smallest economically sized bag or container since the edible portion only of the confection is snugly confined within the container. Furthermore, the improved containers may be readily applied to the'confection in a most economical manner with the containers being subsequently effectively sealed with the aid of standard sealing equipment. In addition, the confection is effectively housed in a sealed tamperproof package, with the confection being protected in a most sanitary manner. The improved method and apparatus has been successfully employed in the actual commercial production of the improved flexible containers, and the improved containers have enjoyed considerable commercial success. It is obvious that the improved containers may be modified to receive and protectively house any number of handled confections of various types without departing from the invention.

It should be understood that it is not desired or intended to limit this invention to the exact steps of the improved method or to the details of the apparatus herein described or to the precise construction of the improved containers, since various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

I claim:

1. The method of producing containers, which comprises, longitudinally advancing a web of flexible material, initially folding and longitudinally sealing the advancing Web to form a flat tube, thereafter severing the tube into successive tube sections, and finally folding each tube section back upon itself along a transverse line near one end thereof and securing the folded portions to each other and to the adjacent outer wall above said fold line While simultaneously locally piercing the tube wall directly on the fold line to thereby provide the tube section With a closed end having a local aperture therein.

2. The method of producing containers, which comprises, longitudinally advancing a Web of flexible ma- 6 terial, initially folding and longitudinally sealing the advancing web to form a fiat tube, thereafter severing the tube into successive tube sections, and finally folding both side walls of each tube section back upon one Wall thereof along a transverse line near one end of the section and securing the folded portions to each other and to the adjacent outer tube wall beyond said fold line while simultaneously locally piercing both of the tube walls of each section directly on the fold line to thereby provide the tube section with a closed end having a local aperture therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

